1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to software updating, and more particularly, to systems and methods for updating software data automatically to provide the best and most current results in estimation projections, and, in particular, for providing size and cost estimates under current market conditions for gas and oil applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Planning budgets for construction projects, maintenance operations, doing business etc. is an import ant task, especially when available money is limited. Accurate predictions of costs for materials, fuel, labor, currency exchange rates, market prices and availability are all necessary considerations. These considerations are especially true in the oil and gas production industries.
Oil and gas facilities are evolving rapidly to meet increased energy demands. The construction of new pipelines, storage tanks, refineries, etc. depends on many factors. These factors change rapidly over time with market or other fluctuations. Up-to-date and even real-time data is needed to make decisions on whether production facilities are cost effective.
It is important to be able to estimate costs and sizes of production against need. Since many factors are involved in this type of decision making, software applications have been employed. To ensure profitability, pricing/cost data should be made immediately available to these software programs. However, in current systems, the pricing/cost data is updated by sending out quarterly software updates via compact disk (CD) or on other storage media. Given the rapidly changing conditions in the energy market, this time lag may result in inefficient or erroneous estimates.